Stone-gathering machine



May s, 1923. 1,454,668

J. BUGLA STONE GATHERING MACHINE .Filed oct. 2o. 1921 s sneetsu-sheet l UEM 'IIII Stimm: 11

' A 31a/manto@ M'ay s, 1923.

J. BUGLA STONE GATHERING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2C. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 8, 1923. f 1,454,668

J. BUGLA STONE GATHERING MACHINE Filed Oct. 20. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Flai-3- Gte: neg

Patented May S, 1923.

JOHN BUGLA. or saeiivew, MICHIGAN.

sroiv'rlleerrinitiivs MACHINE.

Application ined october zo, 192i. seriai N'o. 509,623".

ground wheels with'aii endless conveyor and delivery chute for directing the gatlier'ed stones into a receptacle in the casing.

rThe primary object off the invention is to provide a stone gathering machine whereinl a casing or body supported on ground wheels has an endless conveyor yarranged therein with driving connections between the rear ground wheels and the conveyor, flights carried by the conveyor gathering' the stones and feeding the saine upwardly of an inclined platfo'rih or chiite" for reception ,in a receptacle adjacent the rear end of the machine.

A further object o ftheinvention has'refereiice to a stone gat-heringinachine wherein an endless conveyor` operated by the ground wheels of the inachine'la're disposed V alxi've a pvotallyrnounted platform or'chute with devices associated with the chute for varying the angularity thereof, guide fingers carried by thelo'wer end of the chutebeing provided to direct the gathered stones or thelike over the chute. y l

A- still further object of' the invention einbodiesz'n a stone gathering machine, receptacle for the stones wherein the receptacle Yis provided with a hinged bottom wall controlled by cord and ratchet devicesto regulate ,the opening and closing inovenaefnt thereof. i y

With the above general objects in view andother's that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the saine consistsl in the novel forniLcornbination and arrangeiii'entl of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in thelac- -cornpanying drawingsv and' claimed.

In ,thedrawings forming a part of this i specicatio'n and in which like characters of vreterence [indicate corresponding throughout the several views,

'Figure l is a top plan view partially parts broken away of a stone gathering machine constructed in accordancev with the present invention,

Figure 2 is a vertical' longitudinal sec` tional view taken on line ll''ll' of Figure `l lshowing theendless chain conveyor, the

pivoted chute, the device for regulating the j angularity of the chute andthe stone receptacle adjacent the rear end lof the inachine,

vliligure 3 isay detail sectional view taken on line l'llll' of Fig. l, showing the driving connection between the ground wheels and power shaft of the endless conveyor,' f

Figure 4 is detail sectional View taken on line ITV-#1V of Figurel showing the cord' and ratchet devices for controlling the opening4 receptacle Bottoni, n y,

Figure 5 is' a? detail sectional view' showing the cross bars .of the endless chains's'upporting theV flights With thel flights shown in end elevation?,

Figure 6 lisa detail sectional yview' shovv-y ing. the flights. in top plan view, and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the endless chain showing the flight in side elevation. Y

VReferring r'nore Idetail'tof the acconi-' panyiiig drawings', there is .illustr'atedI` a stone gathering machine enibodying'a body section' open at its Vlower', side and having side walls l, a top wall 2', and arear wall 3, the front lwall 4 carrying a bracket arm 5 for supporting a front steering ground wheel 6 while a clevis v7 carried the bracket is provi'ded'for the attachment of a. suitable draftfdevice. A rear aide 8 eX- tending transversely of the body at the rear end thereofsiipports rear ground wheels 9l as clearly shown in 'Figures l and' As shown" iny Figs. l and 2', operators seat 2a is carried by the top wall of the inachine. v A pair of' shafts l() .and 11 forV operating' the endless conveyors are journal'ed respectively Yadj acent the front and rear ends of the i inachine, the shaft 10 beingl adjacent the ground line while the shaft 1l is 'positioned in proximity to' the upper vvall 2 as shown' in Figure 2. A pair of sprocket wheels 12 and 13 are fixed to the opposite' ends ofthe shafts lO and 11 respectively and are` traversed' by conveyor sproclet chains le.. f l

The flights associated with the sprocket and closing movements of the l chains are shown more clearly in Figs. 2, and to 7, a. series of transverse bars 15 being connected at their ends to the chains and carrying spaced U-shaped flights 16 projecting outwardly thereof and arranged in spaced transverse series.

rThe driving connection for the conveyor chains embodies the provision of a clutch member 17 slidable upon the axle 8 and tens oned as at 18 for engagement with a companion clutch member 17 fixed to the adjacent ground wheel 8 as shown in Figure 3, the sliding clutch 17 being shifted by the` fork lever 19 pivotally mounted. in brackets 20 carried by the adjacent side wall l of the body with the te-nsionedlatch 21 cooperating with the rack lsegment' 22 to be heldin either open or closed position. A gear wheel 23 fixed to the axle section 8 outwardly of the body'as shown in Figure 3 is traversed by a sprocket chain 24 that engages a sprocket wheel 25 upon the shaft l1 for rotating said shaft. Rotary motion of the shaftll is communicated to the shaft 10 by the provision of sprocket wheels l2 and 13 fixed to the shafts 10 and 11 and traversed by the sprocket chains 14 shown in Figures 1 and 2 with the lower ply of the chain passing between guide flanges 26.

A receiving and deliveringl chute is arranged within the body and disposed beneath the endless conveyors and includes an inclined bottom wall 27 carrying spaced perpendicular flanges 28 with the upper end of the chute pivoted as at 29 between the side walls 1 ofthe body, this construction being clearly shown in Fig. 2, the lower ends of the flanges projecting beyond the lower end of chutey and pointed to provide prongs or fingers 30 for directing the stones into the channels between the flanges 28. The chute is disposed with. relation to the conveyor chains to cause the flights 16 to straddle the flanges and travel within the channels provided by the flanges 28.

In order to vary the angularity of the chute 27 with respect to the conveyor chains and also to regulate the position of the fingers 30 relative to the ground line, a system of levers is associated with the lower forward swinging end of the chute and is shown more clearly in Figures 1 and 2, a shaft 31 being secured to the bottom wall of the chute 27 vvand having connected to one end thereof, a relatively long lever with the upper end of the lever pivoted to'one leg` of a bell-crank lever 32, the bell crank being pivoted at 33 to the segment rack 34, a latch rod 35 carried by the bell-crank and cooperating with the segment to hold, the same in adjusted position. lt will therefore 1 be seen that upon shifting movement of the bell crank, the chute 27 is correspondingly pivotally moved for varying the angularity thereof.

end extending outwardly of the body ,and f having a cable drum 39 fixed thereto upon the outer projecting end, the upper endk of the cable 40 being secured to the drum 39 and wound thereon while the lower end is connected as at 41 to the forward `freely swinging end of the bottom wall 36. A

ratchet wheel 42 fixed to the shaft 34 adjacent the drum 39 isengaged by thehook lever 43 and maintained so engaged by the spring .44, the handle 45 of the lever being gripped for disengaging the lever from the ratchet wheel 42 when it is desired to permit the bottom wall 36 to move to an open position. In closing the bottom 36 of the stone receptacle, the lever 46 journaled on the shaft 38 has a tensioned dog 47 adapted to be moved into engagement with the ratchet wheel 48 by the t-ensioned rod 49, the

leve-r rotating the ratchet wheel 48 and the shaft 38 carrying the drum 39, the lever 43 preventing a reverse movement of the shaft 38 and drum 39 by engaging the ratchet wheel 42.

A plurality of weighted arms 50 pivotally mounted on the shaft 51 are alined transversely of the forward end of the body and are adapted for disengaging the stonesto be gathered from the ground, the arms of the U-shaped flights 16 passing between the weighted arms 50.

From the above detailed description of the device, it is believed that the construction and operation thereof will at once be apparent, it being noted that power for operating the endless chains 14 is derived from the rear axle section 8 and communicated to the shaft 11 by the sprocket chain 24, rotation of the shaft 11 being communicated to the shaft 10 by the chains 14 shown `more clearly in Figures 1 and 2. The endless chains 14 passing over the gears 12 and 13 secured to the shafts 10 and 11 carry the flights 16 for gathering the stones and delivering the same upwardly of the chute 27 between the guide flanges 28 into the receptacle at the rear end of the machine body. The weighted arms 50 will loosen the stones from the ground and permit the flights 16 to readily gather the same` in an obvious inanner. The operation of the endless conveyors is controlled by the clutch members 4v17 and 17 operated by the lever 19 while the lll) angularity of the chute 27 is also regulated by the lever 32 having the bell cra-nk and lever connection with the forward free swinging end thereof. The dumping of the receptacle is accomplished by releasing the lever 43 by the handle portion 45 to'disengage the hooked end thereof from the ratchet wheel 42 whereupon the weight of the stones in the receptacle will cause the bottom 36 to be lowered. In closing the bottom wall of the receptacle, the tensioned dog 47 is moved into engagement with the ratchet wheel 48 to rotate the shaft 38 and wind the cable 40 upon the drum 39, retroi grade movement of the drum being pre vented by the locking lever 43 engaging the ratchet wheel 42. Any means may be employed as a drait `for the machine and attached to the clevis 7, either horse or motor power.

Vhile there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention,

it is nevertheless to be understood that minor.

changesv may be made without departing Vfrom the spirit and scope oit the invention as claimed.

Vhat is claimed as new is l. In a stone gathering machine, the combination with a Wheeled vehicle on which a body is supported, of an angularly adjustable chute forwardly of and communicating at its rear end with a receptacle within the body, endless conveyors supported within the body and cooperating with said chute for conveying the stones thereon, and means forwardly or' the conveyors and chute forrdisengaging the stones from the ground, said means comprising a plurality of yweighted arms pivotally mountedv upon a transvers shaft within thebody.

2. A stone gathering machine embodying body, front and rear supporting wheels JOHN BUGLA. i 

